MHI Vestas Offshore Wind wins 92.4-MW order in UK

MHI Vestas, a 50/50 joint venture between Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems A/S and South Korea's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), will deliver eleven V164-8.0 MW turbines and full-scope service for up to 20 years to optimise power production.
The wind turbines have been optimised for the project, utilising an enhanced power mode to be able to deliver an output of 8.4 MW – making them the most powerful wind turbines in the world, MHI Vestas says. This will further increase productivity of the EOWDC, allowing it to deliver a total capacity of at least 92.4 MW.
CEO Jens Tommerup said, “MHI Vestas is shaping the future of the offshore wind market with game-changing technologies that spur innovation to drive down the cost of offshore wind power for the whole industry. Larger and more powerful wind turbines such as the V164-8.0 MW are a key driver of cost reduction. The turbine has an optimised rotor-to-generator ratio, and the use of the 8.4-MW power mode will maximise output and increase value for the customer.”
Adam Ezzamel, project director for the EOWDC at Vattenfall, said: “Choosing MHI Vestas’s V164 underpins our vision for the EOWDC to be a global-leading hub of innovation. The turbines will be paired with game-changing suction bucket foundations, representing an industry first, and will contribute significantly to reducing operational costs as well as help boost the industry’s drive to competitive clean power.”
In addition to the 8.4-MW power mode, power curve optimisation, tower dampers as well as a 66-kV electrical infrastructure and other innovations will be tested. The V164-8.0 MW turbines feature new transformers and switchgears to enable connection to the 66-kV grid.  
Blades for the EOWDC will be made at the MHI Vestas blade factory on the Isle of Wight, where over 280 employees began production of 80m blades for V164 turbines in May 2015.